NASA declared on the 15th of May that the company is currently negotiating with a series of space agencies from all over the world, which would like to take part in the Artemis Program. These discussions aim to determine ten basic norms that must apply to all the partner nations willing to perform activities in the outer space.
Mike Gold, NASA’s associate administrator in charge of the developing program of Artemis Accords, has declared that this mission is not only about carrying astronauts to our natural satellite, but also seeks to carry out NASA’s values and beliefs into the outer space and beyond. Therefore, the company’s primary objective is to determine its partners to adopt this set of rules, which will result in creating a transparent and peaceful working environment for the evolution of the outer space. All of the rules included were inspired by the Outer Space Treaty, which dictates the most important rules of international space research.
The Artemis Program is still undergoing a series of tests and is scheduled to launch the first humans to the Moon somewhere around 2024. NASA’s officials are also thinking about implementing a secondary small space station on the surface of the natural satellite, which is referred to as the Gateway. This module was specially designed for other nations to contribute to the international space research as well.
Gold has recently stated that he wants to achieve a final agreement and sign a contract with at least two international partners by the end of 2020. At the moment, they are currently focusing on determining several obligations for Gateway’s future release. The principles mainly include elements such as peace, transparency, interoperability, emergency assistance, and protecting heritage. The brand-new ideas include the way the space resources will be operated, which might play a leading role in developing the basis of interplanetary human exploration.
This article was originally published in Ars Technica.